Monster
by Bellalyse Winchester
Summary: Of all the monsters Connor has seen...he himself is the scariest. If Helen wanted to drive him mad, it worked... Angsty!Connor, Conby pairing and hints at Secker.
1. Chapter 1

**Wow, I am crooked...the more I love a character, the more I put them through...**

**Connor is kidnapped and mutilated by Helen, turned into a monster deadly and vile enough to cast fear into the heart of anyone who dares look upon him. Got the idea after I watched the trailer for the movie _Beastly. _Plus, I just like angst...**

**I own nothing but my brain. And even that's iffy. **

**~XOXO, Bella  
**

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T__he man looked down at his maimed hands and released a moan of agony. His fingertips, still raw and mangled, ended in long, hooked talons. The very air burned him where muscle lay uncovered. _

_ He didn't want to look in the mirror; he feared too greatly the hideous, inhuman eyes that would meet his. When finally he dared, his stomach turned over in disgust. Black, soulless pupils dominated his eyes, which were closed to slits to block out most of the light. He looked like he lost a fight with a self-aware hammer; his cheeks were shallow and his lower jaw jutted out too far to look human. His teeth, very obviously grafted from a carnivorous creature, jutted outwards, as though to catch any piece of flesh that dared come near him. Teeth in flesh…at least he was human enough to feel a shudder run through his heart at that thought. His heart that beat too quickly. _

_ But that must've been Helen's plan. She created him—this monster that was built about his skeleton, not the man he was inside. Keep him intelligent, intelligent enough to go insane at what he was. Her plan worked; staring at the monster in the mirror, hot fury ran through his blood, alongside the need to tear something to shreds. He clapped a hand against the wall, feeling the gravelly pieces that crumbled from beneath his claws. The moment he saw Helen, he'd tear her limb from limb—_

_ And then what would he do? Run? To where? As much as he hated what he was, a part of him, the part that was still Connor Temple, had no intention of dying. Every moment at the ARC was impossible, and if his life had to be impossible…dammit, he wanted to live! _

_ He wanted to see Abby's face again, her beautiful angel-face, There was a rusty part of the grates that covered the roof of his enclosure. He could escape silently, he realized, before an even darker thought entered his mind: Helen _wanted_ him to escape. _

_ He forced that thought from his mind as he scaled the bars. It was easy, now, to his keen senses and enhanced, almost robotic, strength. He was out in moments, and found not a single siren crying his escape. His nerves were on a hair-trigger. _

_ He shot across the rooftop, and, reaching the edge, launched himself over. He tumbled to the ground with less grace than he'd like, but survived the fall. Stumbling to his feet, he breathed heavy breaths. He knew where he was, he realized; at least, he could find his way to London. He could feel some instinctive pulse pulling him in the right direction. _

_ He followed highways, lurking several feet deep in the woods to remain unseen by the innocent people out driving. If they saw him, they'd think he was a monster. _

_ He was a monster. _

_ It didn't take him long to reach the edge of the city. He knew where his flat—Abby's flat—was. He would go there, and Abby could help him…no, she couldn't. She'd see him and scream. _


	2. Chapter 2

"You all right?"

Danny's question was left moot as Abby began shooting. Six bullets entered the target: two in the head, two in the heart, and two in the crotch.

"Clear," she said, pulling off her earmuffs and staring at Danny, lips pursed. "That's Connor when he gets back here. _Where is he?_"

Danny shrugged. "I don't know," he answered honestly. Abby snorted.

"Fat lot of good you are. We need him here, or else we'll never get anything done with advancing the computer systems."

"Tell you what. As soon as we find him—there's only so many places he can hide—we'll take down the punching bag and replace it with him. But no mortal wounds."

That brought a little smirk to Abby's lips as she looked to her watch. "Well, I'm out of here. But—I really am worried for Connor. I just hope he's back soon."

"He will be," Danny said as she left; then, inwardly, he murmured, "I hope."

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**Sorry it's so brief, I'm just breaking each chapter like cuts between scenes in an episode...next chapter should be up now or momentarily, at any rate! Enjoy!**

**XOXO, Bella  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Abby shivered, watching her breath condense in the air before her. She didn't know why she had taken the bus this morning; something just told her she wasn't in the mood or the condition to do any driving. She refused to take the bus now; she had sat between two of the largest people she had ever seen (which only made her seem smaller) and that experience had cooled her on the entire idea of buses. So she walked.

She wouldn't have minded if she didn't have the nagging feeling she was being watched. She could almost see the eyes in her mind: greedy—lusting, the kind she would have full of pepper spray before they came within two feet of her. She grabbed the bottle from her bag, just in case.

"Hey, missy!"

Here it came.

"Darlin', fancy a drink?"

She spun around. Three men—they were _never_ brave enough to take a girl on alone—stumbled towards her, looking as though another drink would leave them completely legless. Abby tensed as they approached, and tightened her grip on the spray. One of the men reached for her bag, and she held up the spray, catching him in the eyes.

As he dropped to the ground in spasms, another of the men slapped the bottle from her hand. While Abby could've taken either of them in seconds, both (considerably larger) men taking her from either side were too much. Behind her, one entangled his fist in her hair, and she loosed a shriek as the other grabbed both her legs.

Then, suddenly, her legs were freed as the man released a cry of his own. Her hair was released as well, and she and the other man watched as the former attacker was being dragged backwards. In the dim, flickering lamplight, it was impossible for Abby to see her salvation; as it raised a jagged claw, however, it was very apparently something inhuman.

The man cried out in agony as blood spurted in every direction, until his cries ended abruptly and the creature arched its back, as though going to stand.

Abby froze. The man behind her bolted, as well as the man she had sprayed, who was well enough to seek self-preservation. She was either too afraid to move or to brave to leave; perhaps it was a morbid combination of the two. The creature took a step towards her, and she took a half-step backwards. It froze, and then took two more steps. Abby swallowed.

"Hey, are you lost?" she asked tentatively. "In the wrong time? Just—don't move."

It remained still, as if obedient. She began to reach for her phone, when in the distance, sirens were audible and growing clearer. It crouched and bolted, leaving Abby alone with the shredded corpse. She swallowed again; the sirens were no doubt coming this way, and it was her job to tell the ARC what she knew, to give them a sufficient cover.

"Sarah," she said into her phone as she walked away.

"Hey, Abby," the tired woman answered. "What's up?"

"Meet me at the ARC in five."

"Already there, got the late shift. What is it?"

"I'll tell you when I see you," Abby replied uncomfortably.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my God, Abby!"

It took a few moments for the blond girl to understand Sarah's concern; looking down at herself quickly before she was pulled into the other's arms, she saw blood staining her torn jeans and the bottom of her tee.

"I'm fine," Abby exclaimed, though she accepted and returned the hug. "I didn't want to explain over the phone. Just—these guys came up and I tried to fight them, but there were three and they were big. And then this creature came and fought them off, and tore the one guy apart, and then it almost stayed and I would've called a team, only there was a siren and it ran off."

"Abby?" Sarah looked at her like it was a sheer miracle she was alive. "What did the creature look like?"

"I dunno," Abby admitted. "I could barely see it. It was sort of like a future predator, but not quite—almost human."

"You poor thing!" Sarah breathed. Abby shook her head, holding up her hands.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just a bit shaken. I just needed to tell somebody, and, well, a ride home."

"Oh, of course," Sarah nodded. "D'you know what, could you help me with this paperwork? I've got to fill out some stuff about the last creature, and I'm not totally sure on everything."

"The Therizinosaurus?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, the Thera—something saurus," Sarah nodded before blushing. "To be honest…I was a bit too preoccupied watching Becker's perfect arse to pay attention…" At Abby's smirk, she exclaimed, "Between us girls!"

"All right," Abby conceded.


End file.
